Wimbledon Tennis Bodyguard To Serve Eight Years For Rape Bid

Behind Bars: Harrison

A Wimbledon tennis tournament players’ bodyguard has been jailed for molesting and trying to rape a female colleague after the pair enjoyed drink and cocaine into the early hours.

Phillip Harrison, 33, stripped and climbed into the sleeping woman’s bed, groped her between the legs and climbed on top of her despite her continued objections.

At Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court the former Royal Engineers Lance Corporal received eight years imprisonment.

Father-of-one Harrison, of Littlewood Close, Browney, Durham fought the charges, but was unanimously found guilty of attempted rape, plus a count of assault by penetration.

Security Industry Authority (SIA)-registered close protection operative Harrison described himself to the jury as: “High, horny and arrogant,” the night he bombarded the victim with flirtatious texts.

They were both housed at the University of Roehampton student halls of residence, where on June 30, last year they consumed drink and drugs into the early hours.

“You lied and deceived reception staff to give you a keycard to access her room,” Judge Sarah Plaschkes KC told him. “You undressed and got into her bed and touched her intimately.

“She said ‘no’ repeatedly and asked you to leave. You repeatedly put your hand between her legs and ignored her wishes and continued to touch her.

“She rolled over to protect her body and you sat on top of her and she kept her legs shut and squirmed to stop you.”

Harrison left her room at 11.40am and sent a series of texts, begging the victim not to report him, suggesting her cocaine use would be exposed and destroy her career.

“You gaslit her and falsely claimed you would all lose your jobs and you falsely claimed she was being extremely flirtatious and enticed you to her room.

“You have lied and tried to blame the victim and this incident has had a significant impact on her confidence in personal and professional life.

Looking At Serving A Long Stretch: Harrison

“There was some degree of planning by you obtaining her room key and you supplied her with Class A drugs.

“You used every manipulative means, including threats, to prevent her reporting the offence.

“You intended to commit rape and very nearly succeeded and the trigger was your sense of sexual entitlement.

“She was not sexually interested in you and made that clear,” the judge told Harrison. “However, you would not take no for an answer.”

Harrison sent a total of sixteen texts before returning to the victim’s room, after writing: ‘I’m coming for a cuddle.’

“Afterwards you tried to pass it off as over-enthusiasm.”

Harrison begged the victim: ‘I beg that it stays between us.’ ‘Please don’t do this to me. I will lose everything.’ ‘I have a small daughter. You hold my life in your hands.’ 

Earlier that evening Harrison paid £100 for cocaine outside The Angel pub, where many of the close protection officers, including the victim, were drinking, following Wimbledon’s qualifying tournament.

They returned to her room with another male colleague, where the woman twice rebuffed Harrison’s advances when he tried to kiss her.

After leaving her room Harrison bombarded her with flirtatious texts, which she ignored and the woman went to sleep.

“I woke up to Phil in my bedroom. He was in bed with me naked,” she told the police in a video-recorded interview.

“I said: ‘What the f*** are you doing in my bedroom?’ and the next thing he was beside me.

“He just kind of laughed it off a little bit. He undressed and climbed into bed with me.

“He was kissing my back, neck and ears and was putting his hand on my breast and between my legs a few times and he kept trying to put his hand between my legs.

“He tried to push hard further between my legs around five times and was saying he was really horny.

“I told him to leave and he said I was moody. I rolled over onto my stomach so the mattress was protecting most of the parts of my body and he sat on top of me.”

Earlier Harrison had texted: ‘Filth don’t come into it.’ ‘Let me tease and please you like never before’ and ‘Give into temptation.’

He also tried to tempt her with more cocaine and also texted: ‘I’m coming for a cuddle. LMAO.’

After trying to rape her Harrison wrote: ‘FFS I can’t believe I came into your room. Obviously out of control,’ ‘OMFG what a mess I was in’ and ‘I’m sorry if I was OTT.’

Yesterday, prosecutor Bartholomew O’Toole told the court: “There was encouragement of the use of drugs and planning, with multiple texts in the hours before.

“The emotional pressure and threats regarding her career are also aggravating circumstances.”

In one text Harrison wrote to the victim: “We’ll all get the boot for being high and be blacklisted in the industry.” 

In her victim impact statement the woman said: “I felt during the trial that I was being attacked by the female defence barrister.

“What Phil did made me question my life in many ways. I always thought I was a strong and independent woman in a male-dominated industry, but now question myself.

“If I cannot look  after myself then I am kidding myself that I can look after others.

“I was working at Wimbledon, a role I really enjoyed, but now feel I cannot go back there ever again.

“I’ve been getting flashbacks when I go to bed and go to sleep and feel Phil is in my room and is going to attack me again.

“Nothing could prepare me for what I had to endure in court. The cross-examination scarred me as much as the incident.

“I feel so much safer knowing now he is in prison and I will not be assigned another job with him.

“I am grateful he will not be able to do this to anyone else. He violated me and lied about it.”

Lucy Organ, defending, submitted: “Both of them were using drugs and alcohol, but it was not to facilitate the offence.

“It is not accepted there were threats or blackmail regarding reporting the offence.

“Mr Harrison has not worked since his arrest and has lost his career as a result of this conviction.”

Harrison was arrested at a hotel three weeks after the offences and remained on bail until the jury unanimously convicted him after a seven-day trial.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

"Dangerous" Kurdish Illegal's Tube Train Murder Bid

A Kurdish illegal immigrant is starting a life sentence for pushing a tube train passenger onto live tracks at Oxford Circus Underground Station.

Brwa Shorsh, 24, deliberately shoved a postman into the path of an approaching train, claiming the victim had given him a funny look.

He has already been refused asylum in Germany and France, but managed to somehow slip into the UK, where he has given authorities three different dates of birth.

After a trial at Inner London Crown Court a jury convicted him of the attempted murder of Tadeusz Potoczek on February 3 and he received a sentence of life imprisonment.

Judge Benedict Kelleher announced Shorsh must serve a minimum and eight years and forty-nine days before he could be considered for parole.

The court heard at 2.53pm, Mr Potoczek, a man aged in his sixties, was walking along the Victoria Line southbound platform, where Shorsh was sitting on a bench.

As he neared Shorsh, checking the arrival of the next train on the overhead screen, he was pushed – unprovoked – onto the tracks as an underground service approached. 

A witness immediately responded, pulling the victim back onto the platform. 

The train driver also responded quickly to the incident and thankfully the victim did not sustain any serious injuries.

Shorsh left the station and he was arrested by an officer, who recognised him from the CCTV images collected, just hours later at Warren Street station at around 10.30pm.

Judge Kelleher told him: “You were complete strangers to each other and, as I will set out, he had done nothing at all to you to even begin to justify what you did to him.

“What happened was captured on clear CCTV footage. 

“You had been lying down on a bench on the platform for some time, but were siting upright when Mr Potoczek approached.

“As he walked past, you stood up suddenly and pushed him hard to the side, causing him to fall onto the track.

“At the moment you did that, a train was seconds away from emerging the tunnel into the station.

“It was purely through luck that Mr Potoczek fell close to the edge of the track and did not touch the electric rail.

“He remained on his feet and thanks to the very quick reaction of another passenger, he was pulled to safety.

“The train driver saw what was happening and commendably was able to stop the train manually before it reached the point where Mr Potoczek had fallen.

“Had Mr Potoczek touched the electric rail or had the train not stopped in time he would almost certainly have lost his life or at least been caused very severe injury.

“You said that you had seen some women passing on the previous train, who you believed were laughing at you and that had made you angry.

“You said that you then felt disrespected by Mr Potoczek because of the way he looked at you.

“Although you denied trying to kill him you said that you did not care if he died.”

The victim told the trial he never looked at Shorsh in any particular way and this was accepted by the judge.

“I sentence you on the basis that for no other reason than that you were feeling generally angry and then wrongly perceived Mr Potoczek to have been looking at you, you made the spontaneous decision to try to take away his life,” continued Judge Kelleher.

“You were first identified in the UK in 2018, having entered illegally.”

Shorsh's multiple false dates of birth put him at between twenty-three and twenty-five years-old, however his personal life story to a psychiatrist adds up to a man in his late twenties.

This means he has consistently claimed to be younger than he is when asked to give his age.

Shorsh claimed a falling-out with his father as a teenager, prompted his departure from his native Kurdistan – losing his identity documents as he travelled through Europe.

“You say you were refused asylum in Germany and then France, before travelling to the UK,” added the judge.

“You were initially housed in Yorkshire, but then moved to London in late 2018. You appear to have been homeless on and off since then.

“You have since made an asylum application in the UK, but not until at least 2020.

“Within months of your arrival in the UK you committed a racially-aggravated offence of common assault and received a short sentence of twelve weeks.

“Once in London, between the beginning of 2019 and the end of 2023 you committed a further five offences of assault or battery, an offence of threatening a person in public with a weapon, a bike chain and three offences of outraging public decency.

“Most of the assault offences were committed towards officers attempting to move you along from railway stations.

“The last offence, committed in November 2023, was an unprovoked attack on a female rail passenger in which you struck her to the back of the head.”

Experts have assessed Shorsh's IQ at close to borderline learning disability and having no mental illness.

He continued to tell the Probation Service he believed Mr Potoczek disrespected him and deserved to be pushed and officers concluded Shorsh continues to pose a high risk of serious harm to the public.

A police officer who regularly saw Shorsh on the network since 2018 confirmed his behaviour and appearance had dramatically changed over the period.

“I have no hesitation at all in concluding that you are a dangerous offender,” Judge Kelleher told him. “You clearly pose a high risk of serious physical harm to members of the public.

“It is no exaggeration to say that this was an extremely dangerous criminal act that would strike fear into every traveller on the Underground.”

In The Wee Small Hours.......

Police are hunting a mystery male for his disturbing and explicit behaviour on an early hours tube train.

The unknown suspect was witnessed intimately rubbing himself between his legs.

British Transport Police (BTP) have released these images to assist their search.

Investigating officers are appealing to members of the public for their assistance to help identify the man.

At approximately 3.30am on July 20 it was reported a male was behaving in an obscene manner onboard a Northern Line London underground train travelling between Charing Cross and Tottenham Court Road stations.

He was said to be masturbating over his trousers during the journey.

Detectives would like to speak to the man in the images as they believe he may have information that could help their investigation.

Anyone with information can contact BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40 with the reference 334 of 20/07/24.

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.

Wanted: Sunday Morning Train Pervert

A an early-morning pervert started chatting to a lone female train passenger before sitting opposite and exposing himself.

British Transport Police (BTP) have released this CCTV image of their suspect.

Investigating officers are appealing to members of the public to assist them in identifying him.

The woman was travelling on a London Bridge to Sevenoaks train on Sunday, July 14.

At approximately 7.40am a mystery male deliberately seated himself close to her and began engaging her in conversation. 

The unknown man then moved to sit across from her and exposed himself and began masturbating.

Officers believe the man in the CCTV images may have information that could help their investigation.

Anyone who recognises him, or has any other information, is asked to contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 164 of 14/07/24.

Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Vicious Cat Thief Facing More Prison Time

Cyrus Caught Stealing Tilly

A cat thief, who deliberately coaxed two beloved pets into his car - tempting the moggies with treats - is facing three-and-a-half years imprisonment for his cruel crime, a court heard today.

Carlos Cyrus, 30, is already locked-up for drugs and firearms offences after his parole was cancelled for stealing the cats.

He previously pleaded guilty to stealing Tilly, 15, from owner Laura Hunt and Maisie, 17, from Jane McKeown in Chertsey on July 17 and 29.

Staines-upon-Thames Magistrates’ Court previously heard Surrey Police suspect Cyrus, of Leeward House, Southall used the pets as bait in the illegal world of ferocious dog-fishing 

Both cats have not been seen since and Cyrus, a convicted killer who successfully fought against deportation to his mother’s native Jamaica, refuses to say what happened to them.

“I adjourned this case with great reluctance last week when he refused to come,” said Deputy District Judge Adrian Turner. “The authorities have determined not to force him to come as they should.”

Stolen: Tilly, 15

Cyrus is incarcerated at HMP Wandsworth until 2027.

“It is to my frustration I cannot add anything to what this man is serving. I cannot pass a consecutive sentence,” added the judge.

“He was only released from that sentence in March, this year. It did not take him long to get onto this.

“The Probation Service pre-sentence report recommends a Community Order. How on earth can it do that when he is serving a sentence of imprisonment?”

The Crown Prosecution Service submitted an appropriate sentence for the offences is three-and-a-half years imprisonment, given the devastating effect the crimes have had on the cats’ owners and the pets themselves.

“Even if he got three-and-a-half years it would not have any material effect on the time he is serving inside,” explained Judge Turner.

However, prosecutor Sunil Mehta suggested such a sentence would add a few months to Cyrus’ overall time behind bars.

“He has chosen not to come though. There is no reason this case cannot go to the Crown Court is there? 

“This is in the top category of harm and is of high culpability. There is substantial sentimental value to the cats’ families.”

Cyrus’ lawyer Hanisha Godhania submitted: “I would seek to argue it is lower in the sentencing guidelines and was opportunistic instead of pre-planned.

“It is not targeted against these particular cat owners or animals and I cannot come up with a value for the cats.”

Cyrus was remanded in custody to Guildford Crown Court on a date to be fixed.

Laura’s Ring doorbell footage, which recorded Cyrus petting family cat Tilly outside her home before picking the moggie up and throwing her into his vehicle was vital in tracking him down.

Surrey Police visited several addresses associated with Cyrus and in one found more cat treats, plus suspicious animal antibiotics for wounds and infections.

Last week, prosecutor Lucy Lumsden told the court: “There its significant harm. He is stealing cats to supply to people with killing dogs, to be put to their deaths.

“He had cat treats in his car and loitered outside and this was all captured on the Ring doorbell.

“There is an emotional value that the sentencing guidelines allow. He has also refused to say where the cats are.”

The court heard Cyrus has convictions for twenty-one offences, including a seven-year sentence for manslaughter when he was twelve years-old.

“It was a gang killing,” said the prosecutor, confirming Cyrus also has convictions for robbery and theft.

In April, 2021 he received six years imprisonment for possessing a handgun and drug supply.

“He was arrested for these cat thefts after a probation appointment and there is abundant evidence there was planning and he refused to answer questions,” announced Judge Turner.

“This was also done using a hired vehicle, maybe that is a coincidence, but I doubt it.

“There was considerable planning and a degree of sophistication and he even had medication in case he got scratched or bitten.

“He had only just come out of prison and there are serious offences of violence on his record.”

Unfortunately any custodial sentence for the cat thefts cannot be added consecutively to the prison term Cyrus is already serving.

“He is not a first-time offender. He is a violent criminal.

“He might just be honest about what he did with these cats and put their owners out of the misery of not knowing.” 

Cyrus’ Jamaican mother and Grenadian father had no legal status in this country when Cyrus was born and the Home Office attempted to deport him, but were defeated at the High Court in 2016.

He, his sister and his mother were granted Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK in January, 2005.

Over two years later in December, 2007 London-born Cyrus received eight months youth detention for robbery; attempted robbery; two assaults and aggravated vehicle taking.

In January, 2009 he was convicted of the manslaughter of a rival gang member and received seven years.

He was released in August, 2011, but was twice recalled to custody for breaching parole.

In August, 2015 Cyrus was served with a deportation notice with one reason the Parole Board’s finding that he continued to pose a “high risk of harm to others.”

The following day he appealed, quoting the European Convention of Human Rights.